Earth mover



J. F. KNAPP EARTH MOVER Aug. 1o, 1937.

Filed March 27, 1934 H!\ lill Il mf w IA l1 .1 w. .Lg/@ j n A ;/lsL.. 2* D INVENTOR Jh/v F /f/za/j/s B ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 10, 1937 UNITED ,STATES EARTH MOVEB John F. Knapp, Oakland, Calif., assignor to American TractorEquipment Corporation, a corporation of California Application March 27, 1934, Serial No. 717,592

4 Claims.

My invention relates to machineryusefulinconjunction with earth moving, excavating, grading and the like, and is especially concerned with an apparatus adapted to be propelled by a vehicle such as a tractor, and to be controlledl by the operator of the tractor.

An object of my invention is.to provide an'earth mover of large capacity and correspondingly of considerable ruggedness.

Another object of my invention lis to provide an earth mover carried by a tractor ln such a manner that the load placed on the tractor is carried in the main directly by the truck frames rather than through the equalizer bar or spring.

An additional object of my invention is to 'provide an earthmover carried by a. vtractor almost directly beneath the forward end thereof to shorten the moment arm of the mover on the tractor;

A furthenobject of my invention is to provide an earth mover which can be readily adjusted in variouspositions.

The foregoing and other objects are attained in the embodiment of the invention shown in the n drawing, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a tractor carrying one form of earth mover of my invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the forward end of thel tractor and earth mover.

Figure 3 is a section. through a connection lifting and lowering the earth mover.

In the form shown in the drawing there is disclosed a mechanism adapted to be actuated by a hydraulic displacement mechanism, including cylinders 6 and piston rods l, deriving its power from a pump unit mounted on tractor 8. The tractor includes opposite tracks 9 carried by truck vframes il which also/carrya main frame, generally indicated ity/i2, pivotedrat the rear of the truck frames for'rotation about a .hinge point at the intersection of lines A-A vand B-B in Figure 1. This construction is well known in the Caterpillar type tractors wherein the `truck frames are hinged 4at their rear ends on axles extending from the transmission case of the main frame. The main frame is supported at the forward end of said frames by anequalizer bar, usually a heavy spring (not shown). Since this for f part of the disclosure is conventional and has link I1 are welded together. `These links and link I6, as previously mentioned, are connected by pin I4 which hinges links I'B and I1 together. The link IB is connected to a bracket I8 mounted on the truck frame while the curved link I'l has a shaft I9 passing through its curved end. This shaft I9 is supported in brackets 2| on the main frame and keyed to the shaft are arms 22 to which the piston rods 1 are connected by bifur-v cated clevlses 23. A

Links 24, adjustable in length, extend forwardly from arms 22 to one arm of bellcranks 2B and serve to rock bell cranks 26 about pins 21 which support them on plate brackets 28 on the truck frames. Clevises 29 are secured to the other arm ofthe bellcranks. Rods 3I slide through the clevises and are secured by pins 32 between extensions 33 on angle frame members 94. Each rod 3l is surrounded by a spring 38 ,compressed thereon between the clevis 29 and the other end of the rod. Each rod has an internally threaded sleeve. 31 thereon sliding in the clevis, the end of the-sleeve having a head 38 thereon sliding in the clevis and acting as a guide between` the rod and the clevis. Any upward push on the rods compresses the springs additionally while the head 38 on the sleeves permits the rods to be lifted positively. In this manner, a exible connection is provided protecting the lifting and lowering mechanism as will appear further.

A tube BI is provided on each side of the tractor alongside the truck frames. One end of each tube is received by and is welded to a collar on angle frame' members 34 while the other end carries a fork casting 42 having an upper and lower slot'formed therein. A member 43 is receivable in each casting 42 and is held in place by pin 44. This member completes the slots in the casting 42 and confines a stub shaft 46.in either slot. The stub shaft is mounted in a suitable bearing box 45 carried in either slot in the bracket I8 on the truck frame (see Figure 3 in my copending application Serial No. 49,255, filed November 11, 1935). This bracket is mounted on the truck frame as close to the pivot point of the truck 'on the main frame as the tractor construction permits. (A bracket and stub shaft construction is shown as 96 and 91 in Figure 9 of Bufiington Patent 1,859,496 of May/24, 1932.)

The angle frameconnectors, or members 34, are joined together by a short tube/41 welded to them. The tubes 4I, the members 34, and the short tube provide a v ery strong and rigid U- frame which can be manipulated by rocking of bell cranks 26. This frame lies practically beneath the tractor radiator so that any load placed thereon is carried close in tothe tractor; the turning moment of the load is therefore minimized. This strongand rigid frame is utilized as support for a mold board 5I. This board, as is disclosed in the Patent 1,928,778 to Austin, is composed of al plurality of component parts, primarily a `back plate 52, so formed that itis a,

channel in cross section and carries a front plate 53 of arcuate cross section. In addition, a replaceable cutting blade 54 is suitably secured to the forward lower edge of the plate 53.

- Secured to the back plate 52 are two brackets 56 and two other brackets 6I. Brackets 55 receive pins 58 which also pass through frame connection members 34, when the mold board is transverse of the tractor. When the mold board is in either of the angular positions of Figure 2, a connecter 59 is inserted between the member 34 and the spaced bracket .on the mold board.

Additional support for the mold boardl is provided at each end thereof by brackets 6I and members 62 in the form of tubes which are' slidable in tubes 4I. Each tube carries an end casting 51- at the end thereof having an oit-set aperture therein which is engaged by a pin passed through lone of the two holes in brackets 6|. When the mold board is in the full line position of Figure 2, both end castings are turned in, the left one to engage the pin passed through the inner hole in the associated bracket, and the right one to engage a pin in the outer hole.

When theJ mold board is straight across, the-end castings are both turned outto receive pins passed through the inner holes. The path of center of each inner lhole is beyond the line of center of the rod by the amount of oiiset of the aperture in each end casting. Pins 64 are passed through each collar, tube 4I and apertured tube 35 62 to securethe tube 62. g

.' The frame fork castings 42 can be raised or lowered so that bearing boxes 45 for stub shafts 46 can be located either in the upper or the lower slots to vary the angle of the mold board or in 40 an upper slot on one sideanda lower slot on the othe1 to give an angle tothe mold board. To

do this it is merely necessary to lower the mold vboard onto the ground, pull pins 44,back the .tractor away to remove the stub shafts from the slots, raise orlower the frame as desired, and

then move the tractor forward and carry the stub shafts into the desired slots in the fork castings 42, or the device may be entirely disconnected from the tractor 1'by removing pins 32 50 and 44 and backing the tractor, as mentioned.

It is to be noted that in the main the earth mover is carried on the truck frames and that whatever load of the earth mover is placed on the main frame is at a point to the rear of the 55 equalizer bar.

Instead of utilizing hydraulic mechanim and g a pump,- electric power can be used as is disclosed in the aforementioned Austin patent.

It is to be noted that tubes 4I, 62, and 41 and 6 connections 34 -form a U-frameV rather than a V or an A frame. 'I'his form of the frame enables the tool as the mold board or other earth moving or displacing means, to be carried very close in to .the dirigible vehicle as-well as to 65 even though the position of the toolfon the frame can be adjusted. In practice, this construction has proven of utility and advantage. I claim:

1. In an earth moving device including nftac- 70 tor and tractor supporting means having a truck permit the tool to be secured to the frame ,rigidly ,f

frame hinged adjacent the rear end thereof on each side of said tractor, earth moving means, frame means supporting said earth-moving means on said tractor, means for raising and lowering said frame means to raise and. lower said earth `moving means with respect to the earth, said raising and lowering means including a pair of hydraulic cylinders and pistons and piston rods, a bellcrank `supported on each truck frame adjacent the front end thereof, linkage connecting an arm of each bellcrank to said framemeans, other linkage connecting each piston rod to an associated bellcrank over each truck frame, and means supporting each cylinder over each truck frame including a bracket secured to each truck frame closely adjacent the hinge point thereof on the tractor, a link extending upwardly from said bracket, a second link hinged on the tractor and on said link, and means mounting a cylinder on the hinged links.

2. In a device of the character described, hav- Oing a tractor and opposite'truck frames hinged on said tractor, means for mounting a cylinder over a truck frame hinged on said tractor, said mounting means including. a bracket on each truck frame closely adiacent the hinge point of each truck frame on said tractor, a hydraulic cylinder over each truck frame, a 'rst link hinged on each bracket and extending lupwardly, a second link hinged on said tractor and on the ilrst link, and means mounting a cylinder on said links.

3. In an earth moving device including a tractor having a main frame and a truckframe hinged on 'said main frame, an earth moving means carried in front of said tractor, means for raising and lowering said earth moving means including a bell crank supported on said truck 'frame' adjacent the front end thereof, linkage connecting an arm of said bell crank tosaid earth moving means, a hydraulic cylinder and piston and piston rod, means supporting said cylinder upon both said main frame and said truck frame whereby movementsof said truckframe about its hinge are not communicated to said cylinder, and means operatively connecting said piston rod to said bell crank whereby movement of said rod is effective to rotate said bell crank.

4. In an earth moving device including 'a trac- -tor having a main frame and a Atruck frame on each side thereof hinged on said main frame, an earth moving means carried in front of said tractor, a pair of spaced plates mounted Yon each side of each truck frame, a bellcrank supported between each plate pair,v a link connecting an arm of said bellcrank to said earth moving means,

of an associated bellcrank, and means suppcrt- A ing each cylinder over each truck frame independently ofthe other cylinder and substantially independently of movement of a truck frame' a hydraulic 'cylinder and piston including a pisabout its hinge on the main frame, said supporting means including, a pair of hingedly connected links for each cylinder, one end of one link beinghingedonthetrwtor whileone endofthe other link is hinged on a truck frame closely adcent the hinge point of the truckon the tracr.

JOHN F. KNAPP. 

